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One of Portland's treasures

Claudia Gardner, Hospitality Jamaica Writer

If you want to rest, de-stress or just cool out - Fern Hill is the perfect getaway.

If you want to study, write a book or song, or just meditate - go to Fern Hill. It is one of the best places in the parish of Portland for these activities.

Serene and calm, with an absolutely breathtaking view of the Caribbean coastline, Fern Hill is the ideal retreat - the ultimate place for the discerning visitor who wants to vacation in a relaxing, pleasant atmosphere.

Like most Portland-based hotels, it has managed to maintain its environmental integrity, and its panoramic view, coupled with acres of greenery, birds of all species chirping and fresh tropical fruits growing in wild abundance, will make any visitor feel at peace.

Fern Hill got its name from the abundance of different species of ferns growing in the area, but what is also distinct is the large number of Royal Palm trees growing among the foliage on its slopes.

Located opposite San San Beach, the hotel started out as a timeshare property more than two decades ago, when Vincent Holgate bought the property. It is sited on 21 acres of land.

The property has three swimming pools and all guests receive free entry to the spectacular San San Beach a five-minute walk away. Other amenities include tennis, ping-pong and shuffleboard. The lawns of the property are ideal for quiet picnics. Of course, dining is also a pleasure as the Panorama Restaurant's chef serves up scrumptious Jamaican and international meals.

how it all began

Holgate recounted to Hospitality Jamaica how the journey of Fern Hill all began.

"We decided to look on various things we could do to it at the time," he said. "We looked at having it as a sort of executive stress-release resort. We looked at timesharing - and that is how we started - as a timeshare property. We just sold weeks - sold time.

"And so we started marketing in the Ontario markets in Canada, in 1984 officially, and we had great success in selling those," Holgate added. "And so, we built other units and brought people down and introduced them to our concept. We operated for 14 years as an all-inclusive operation. Our market was almost 99 or 100 per cent Canadian when we were an all-inclusive, and we had an 84 per cent occupancy all year-round."

The impact of a near-recession in the United States in 1994, he said, resulted in a turnaround for Fern Hill which triggered a diversification of its market.

"At the time, we had full package daily tours and other activities, so we were very successful up to 1994," he explained. "When the problem occurred, Canada was in a crisis and so a lot of our timeshare people could not even pay their maintenance."

He was forced to change the concept to European Plan.

Having survived the test of time, Fern Hill today sees half of its visitors coming from within Jamaica, with the other half being mainly from Europe. It was, and still remains, one of Portland's treasures.